


you had time

by mixtapestar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2015-11-24
Packaged: 2018-05-03 05:09:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5277875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mixtapestar/pseuds/mixtapestar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver isn’t quite sure what convinces him to go back to the Hog’s Head on the 4th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. He had never gone to any of the official celebrations that happened over the past few years, but he knows that Aberforth isn’t one for ceremony. Here he can have a quiet drink to commemorate lives lost and to celebrate what was won without anyone making a big show of things.</p>
<p>What he isn’t expecting is to run into Percy Weasley at the pub.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you had time

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this fic in 2007, shortly after reading Deathly Hallows for the second time. Here we are 8 years later, and it is finished. Thank you so much to everyone who let me bounce ideas off of them or who read through this along the way. And a HUGE shout-out to [picowrimo @ livejournal](http://picowrimo.livejournal.com), without which this fic wouldn't have been finished this year. I'm forever grateful for writing support groups. <3

Oliver isn’t quite sure what convinces him to go back to the Hog’s Head on the 4th anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. He had never gone to any of the official celebrations that happened over the past few years, but he knows that Aberforth isn’t one for ceremony. Here he can have a quiet drink to commemorate lives lost and to celebrate what was won without anyone making a big show of things.

What he isn’t expecting is to run into Percy Weasley at the pub.

About thirty minutes after his arrival, Oliver spots the familiar shock of red hair down the bar as Percy comes in, then finds himself huddling over his drink in an attempt to hide his face before he realizes what he’s doing. Aberforth shoots him a look of mingled confusion and disdain as he goes to help Percy, and Oliver realizes how ridiculous he’s being. It’s been nearly four years since his relationship-that-wasn’t with Percy. He’s grown and changed, and he’s sure that Percy has too. There is no reason they can’t be mature about this.

“Percy,” Oliver says with feigned surprise as he pretends to do a double-take. He moves down the bar and pastes on a smile as Aberforth finishes taking Percy’s order. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Oliver,” Percy says, the tension in his posture seeming to ease as he recognizes him. “It’s been too long. I take it you’re here for the same reason I am?”

Oliver thinks of Percy’s brother Fred and knows from Percy’s slightly pained expression that he’s likely doing the same.

Their last great argument had been centered around Fred's death, and even though they parted on friendly enough terms, Oliver can’t help but think of it. He downs the rest of his drink and clears his throat. “Today’s a bit bittersweet.”

“Yes,” Percy says stiffly. Aberforth passes by to give Percy his drink and disappears again before Oliver can order another. Percy takes a big swallow and stares down into his glass, apparently uncomfortable with saying anything further.

Oliver stares down at the counter for a moment, wondering if he should make his excuses and call it a night. But his curiosity is burning too bright; he’ll kick himself if he doesn’t at least try to catch up with Percy. “So what have you been doing with yourself?”

“I’m working with the Department of Transportation,” Percy says, brightening, “at the Ministry.”

Oliver smiles. “Glad to see you’ve stuck with it.”

Percy nods. “There’s a lot of good change going on under Kingsley’s run as Minister. I’m proud to be a part of it.” Percy looks at him full on for the first time since he walked up, and his smile is small but genuine. “What about you? Are you still playing with Puddlemere United?"

“Yes!” Oliver says excitedly. “They actually added me to the starting lineup this year. Our season starts in just a few weeks.”

“That’s great!” Percy says, and seems to mean it. “Congratulations. You’ve been working toward that for a while.”

“Thanks. We’ve got a really good team this year. We might actually have a shot at a really good ranking.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great. I would say good luck, but I know you hate that.”

“The sentiment is nice,” Oliver says, smirking. “Even if luck has nothing to do with it.”

“Of course,” Percy says, then resumes staring down into his drink. Oliver suddenly remembers why they’re both here, and how much bigger this day has to be for Percy than it is for him.

“I should get going,” Oliver says, fishing out a couple of coins to cover his drink. Percy doesn’t contradict him. “It was good seeing you.”

“You too,” Percy says before angling his body away in a clear dismissal. Oliver doesn’t blame him one bit. He nods and slides his hands into his pockets as he walks away. He’s just to the door, already picturing his flat for apparition, when Percy calls out to him.

He turns back, wondering if maybe he forgot something, and finds Percy smiling that same small smile. “We should catch up sometime soon,” Percy says significantly.

“That would be great,” Oliver says, smiling back. He takes a deep breath when he steps outside before apparating back home.

******

Oliver fully intends to let it go. To leave it up to Percy to make plans if he wants them. But over the next few days, he spends a great deal of time wondering. Wondering how Percy wound up in the Transportation department at the Ministry. Wondering if Percy was still getting along with his family. Wondering if Percy was wondering about him.

He means to be running drills, perfecting his flying for the upcoming Quidditch season, but his mind keeps drifting back to that day four years ago. The Battle of Hogwarts, before the battle had begun.

_He’d been staying with Percy for nearly six months, a safe haven under Ministry protection for as long as that could last. He was just cleaning up around the flat when the watch on his wrist lit with a warm glow that let him know he had a message from Percy._

_When he pressed the knob on the side of his watch, Percy’s voice filled the room with an urgent, “Oliver.” Suddenly flooded with worry, Oliver sat down in a nearby chair as the message continued. "Just received contact from Aberforth. They’re fighting at Hogwarts. I'm going to wait for my chance, then make a break for it. Contact as many people as you can, then Apparate into the Hog's Head. I'll see you there." There was a pause in which Oliver thought momentarily that the connection has closed, but there was still a faint glow around the face of his watch. "No matter what happens, I’ll always be glad of the time we spent together," Percy's voice declared quickly, then the light faded._

_Oliver blinked down at the watch, his heart in his throat. The two of them had certainly been heading in a romantic direction, but Oliver thought that Percy wanted to take things slow. If he was making a point to say something now, then he must suspect this battle to be important._

_Feeling a sudden motivation, Oliver prepared to go to Hogwarts._

_By the time he got into the Room of Requirement, the battle had already begun. He rushed off to the Great Hall just in time to find Percy leaving it with his family. Percy looked at him with some surprise, probably wondering at his urgency._

_“You don’t get to say goodbye on a watch,” Oliver said once he’d pulled Percy aside._

_“It wasn’t meant to be goodbye,” Percy said, attempting to put on a brave face. “It just seemed… Obviously I didn’t know when you’d arrive, and it seemed prudent to mention—"_

_And that was the point when Oliver had ended his stammering by pulling him into a kiss. Percy made a quick, somewhat undignified noise at being interrupted, and then he fell into the most glorious kiss Oliver had ever been a part of. He gripped at Percy, who pulled him even closer, the both of them pouring every notion of unexplored attraction into the gesture._

_“Blimey,” Fred said, interrupting them with an unabashed grin. “I never knew you had it in you, Perce."_

_The two of them had barely paid him any attention, still locked in an intense gaze that said volumes, but his words had brought them back to the moment. They had to get moving._

_The next time Oliver saw Percy, everything had changed._

He’s brought back into the present when the practice Quaffle he’d enchanted nearly smacks him in the face. He finally has to admit his head isn’t in practicing tonight and heads back to his flat for a drink.

Because now his memory trips over the last time he had truly seen Percy. The argument that took their friendship and any hint of something more with it.

It's hard to remember now precisely what was said, even though he spent months afterward going over their words in exact detail, alternating between feeling justified and regretful. It had been a normal enough conversation at first, with Percy distant but trying, and suddenly they were on the topic of Fred, and Percy was more angry than Oliver had ever seen him. He had lashed out when Oliver assured him that he couldn’t be responsible for Fred’s death until he had Oliver just as angry, their shouting so loud that Oliver’s ears rung afterward. He remembers accusing Percy of internalizing too much (true), of forgetting about Oliver’s own losses (definitely not true), and of intentionally shutting Oliver out (whether true or false, definitely too selfish for the moment). It had been a nasty fight, and though they plodded through some awkward apologies before Oliver moved out, they had never really resolved it.

It’s been nearly four years, though, and Percy had seemed so sure of himself when he’d stopped Oliver leaving the pub. He wanted to see Oliver, when they could meet up in circumstances that were a little less bleak.

Oliver can’t let it go, which is what leads him two days later to send an owl, suggesting that Percy meet up with him and some friends at a pub near the Puddlemere practice field, and that he should bring anyone he likes.

******

He can't hide the fact that he's keeping one eye one the door at the pub the next day, and his friends start teasing him almost immediately. He knows from Percy's return owl that he plans to come with a friend or two from work, but he can't help but wonder if Percy will change his mind.

“Stop worrying so much,” Craig, Oliver’s date for the evening, says. “If he’s still a friend worth having then he’ll be here. If he doesn’t show, he’s probably as much of a prat as he was in school.” 

Oliver’s knee-jerk reaction is to defend Percy, but he has no idea what to expect after all this time.

When Percy finally does arrive, Oliver is surprised to see a beautiful blonde woman on his arm. He introduces her as Maggie Featherstone from the Department of Mysteries, and then she immediately pushes a chair in next to Saul Pummat, one of Puddlemere's chasers, and focuses all her attention on him.

When Oliver glances, surprised, from her back to Percy, he finds Percy shooting him an amused look. “She’s got his poster up in her office,” Percy quietly tells him as he takes a seat across the table. “When you mentioned some of your teammates would likely be here, she insisted on tagging along. I’ll admit I didn’t put up a lot of resistance. I just had to see what would happen.”

Craig laughs along with Oliver, and Percy’s eyes flit from his arm around Oliver to his face.

“Oh, sorry,” Oliver says, realizing how rude he’s been. “This is—”

“Craig Reese,” Percy finishes for him, his tone triumphant as he remembers the name. “You were a Hufflepuff, yeah? Two years ahead.”

“Good memory,” Craig says, impressed.

Percy shrugs disarmingly. “What have you been getting up to since Hogwarts?”

“He’s a painter, actually,” Oliver answers before Craig can start making excuses for his passion. It always drives Oliver crazy when he won’t own up to what he loves with new people.

“Oh, excellent! What do you paint?”

Oliver leaves them to it for a few minutes to listen in on Maggie’s conversation with Saul. Maggie has an excellent strategic idea for Saul and the other Chasers that Oliver immediately gets sucked into. He tunes out the other conversations for a while until Pogget’s raised voice catches his attention.

“I don’t see why we can’t just make Floo travel the standard,” Pogget says irritably. "No expertise necessary, no exams. Just simply state your location and go.”

“Because a lot of people are moving away from having fireplaces in their homes and flats by default,” Percy says. “And it’s not always cost effective to have them installed in public places like Hogsmeade.”

“Cost effective!” Pogget exclaims disbelievingly. “The Ministry can take a few galleons away from its so-called ‘Beautification Projects’ to put in a few fireplaces.”

“That’s not the point,” Percy says strongly. “We need to come up with a travel solution that’s accessible for those that aren’t well off and don’t have the education yet to apparate. We’ll never be able to improve on the current state of things if we don’t explore other options.”

“I’m surprised to hear that coming from you,” Craig says. “Weren’t you always a stickler for the rules?”

“Mostly,” Percy admits. “But I’ve learned a fair few things from _not_ stopping to question once in a while.”

“Don’t forget that Percy is a Weasley,” Oliver says, sharing a look with Percy across the table. “You might consider that he’s gotten away with some things simply by seeming to always enforce the rules.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share my secrets, Oliver,” Percy says haughtily, taking a drink. His eyes dance over the top of the glass in amusement, though, making Oliver chuckle.

Percy seems unfazed by the argument, moving on swiftly to share ideas about how to improve on broomstick speed, but Oliver can tell that Pogget is still miffed at the conversation. He does his best to distract Pogget by getting him talking about his family. He wants to keep his teammates on the reserve team happy, and he knows in this case it will mean keeping Pogget from talking too much with Percy. He’s sure Percy means well, but some people just don’t like to argue. He learned to smile and nod whenever possible with Pogget years ago.

As the night draws to a close and everyone starts to head home, Percy makes a point to thank Oliver for inviting him. Oliver suddenly wishes he’d had more of a chance to catch up with him throughout the evening, but he’s still grateful that Percy came. Percy got along great with his friends and teammates - with one notable exception - and it was good to see him. Oliver says goodbye and means it when he tells Percy they should do it again sometime.

******

Less than a week later, Oliver receives an owl from Percy with a note suggesting they get together again. Percy invites him to join him over his lunch break at a new restaurant near the visitors’ entrance to the Ministry. _Their fish and chips may not be quite up to your standards,_ Percy writes, _but it’s all people can talk about in the office._

Oliver wonders vaguely if he should consider this a date, but he’s quickly set straight when he arrives and finds three of Percy’s colleagues are joining them for lunch. He says hello to Maggie, who he remembers from the pub, and introduces himself to Leonard and Eleanor.

The restaurant is as delicious as promised, and Oliver finds himself at ease with Percy’s friends. There are a few moments when he feels out of place while they discuss policies and other Ministry processes, but Percy makes an effort to clue him in when that happens.

“So Oliver,” Maggie says, her mouth twisting into a smirk, “when’s your next game?”

“Actually it’s this Saturday,” Oliver says, “at the Holyhead Harpies field."

“Their beaters are pretty wicked,” Maggie says, and Oliver nods.

“We’ve been tailoring our practices around that. We won’t let them catch us off guard.”

“This Saturday?” Percy frowns. “Leonard and I have to come in to present the report on alternative flying vehicles.”

“Oh,” Oliver waves a hand in dismissal, “there will be other games.” He considers offering tickets, but he’s half sure Percy’s just being polite.

Still, Percy brings it up again by the end of their meal. “I wish I could come to the game. I heard you talking strategies last week. I’m sure it’ll be a good one.”

“I’ll be sure to give you a full report,” Oliver says, a little taken aback at Percy’s sincerity. He leaves with a smile on his face, happy to have made more friends that appreciate his love for the game.

******

This is Oliver’s second year on the main roster, and he’s loving it. He gets to play every game as long as he’s able, and his ideas for plays are used much more often than when he was just a reserve player. In today’s game alone, they’ve scored three times by using plays Oliver developed on his own.

He’s just made a particularly difficult save and passed over to Tracey Canton, his teammate and Chaser, when he spots the shock of red hair in the crowd and instantly recognizes Percy. He’s cheering like mad and Oliver feels a punch to the gut of nostalgia, so much that he doesn’t realize they’ve scored until the noise level increases from their side of the stadium.

He curses his lapse in concentration, knowing that if Saul hadn’t scored then Oliver almost certainly would have missed a return volley. He returns his eyes to the game, but part of his mind is focused elsewhere. In school, he’d often overhear people surprised at how enthusiastic Percy could get about Quidditch. Oliver wasn’t surprised though. He shared a room with Percy, and he knew just how passionate he could get about the most random things. And coming from that family, he was already predisposed to love Quidditch. Oliver used to debate the rules of the game with him; Percy always thought it absurd that you weren’t allowed to substitute players.

Even though half his mind is now on Percy, Oliver finds himself at the top of his game. His team is up by 140 points when their seeker Janice snags the Snitch, firmly securing their victory and a significant move up the rankings. He joins his team on the ground for their celebratory huddle, and feels a swoop in his stomach from more than just the landing when he glances back up at Percy in the stands and sees his wand sparking red and gold instead of the Puddlemere blue and gold.

\--

Oliver hangs around a bit after the game just to see if Percy sticks around, but it gets to a point where his teammates are all leaving for drinks. He doesn’t want to say he’s waiting for someone who may or may not stick around, so he just joins them and lets it go.

When he does finally get home there’s a flash of floo that lets Oliver know Craig was trying to reach him. He realizes with a jolt that he hasn’t thought of Craig all day, and has to admit to himself that it’s not really fair to him when he clearly still has feelings for Percy. With a sigh, he goes to floo back and break things off.

He gets a letter from Percy not even an hour later that’s obviously come from the Ministry. In it, Percy sings Oliver’s praises and expresses his regrets that he couldn’t stick around, but “technically I was skiving off of work to begin with.” He reads back over the letter again, focusing this time on how much Percy’s enthusiasm seems to bleed off the page when he says he hasn’t been to a game in ages and that he’d forgotten that breathless feeling that came with watching a close save or the race for the Snitch. Oliver is gripping the letter so tightly it starts to tear, so he mutters a quick _Reparo_ and sets it aside. He takes a deep breath and gives himself a moment to just be aware of how turned on he is right now.

Finally he decides to indulge in a second shower for the afternoon in order to work out his feelings about Percy, both physically and mentally.

He waits until the water is just starting to steam to run a hand over his half hard cock. He pictures Percy's rapt expression when he caught him in the audience, Percy getting on a rant in school, Percy's completely wrecked look when Oliver had kissed him at Hogwarts that day. He replays those last moments in particular in his head on repeat until he can feel his orgasm building, and he spills out over his hand.

Coming down and turning his head into the warm spray of the shower, he reflects on his true feelings for Percy. Having had such a long break without hearing from Percy, he's not sure if he's caught up with the nostalgia of how he felt about the old Percy. He knows that he has changed in the last four years, and Percy certainly has too. Does he even know Percy anymore? There was a time when it wouldn't have mattered to Oliver; that initial attraction would've been enough. But this is Percy, and he's already lost him once. And as much as he would love to pick up things with Percy where they left off all that time ago, he could use a good friend outside of his teammates.

The water begins to turn cold while he's still mulling this over. He finally has to admit he can't make any big decisions at this point. He can take things slow and give it some time to get to know Percy all over again. If it's all nostalgia, his feelings will fade in enough time. But if it's not, well. Oliver thinks he'll purchase some tickets to the Museum he heard Percy mention to hold onto, just in case.

******

Before Oliver even realizes it’s happening, he has standing plans with Percy every Tuesday evening. It only occurs to him that he’s got this expectation when Percy floos to tell him he can’t make it on one particular Tuesday.

“My doctor had to reschedule my usual appointment,” Percy explains once he’s made his apologies. “This was the only open time she had.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Oliver assures him, suddenly full of worry. “I hope everything’s alright.”

“Oh, yes, nothing big. Just my regular therapy appointment.”

And the way he says it, without nervousness or shame, causes some pieces of the puzzle to start falling into place for Oliver. Percy is largely the same person he knew in school and after, the stubborn and passionate man Oliver’s always been at least a little fond of, but he’s also changed in some ways. He’s more mature and down-to-earth, without losing any of his enthusiasm about the things that matter to him. And, apparently, he no longer thinks of ‘therapy’ as a dirty word.

“Oh, that’s great,” Oliver says. “I mean, I’m glad that nothing’s wrong.”

“I’d been looking forward to our plans,” Percy says, and Oliver feels a peculiar rush in his chest. “But I don’t want to miss this appointment. I’ll make it up to you. Are you free tomorrow?”

“Practice tomorrow,” Oliver says, disappointed. “Though I could probably leave by 8.” His teammates, he knew, would have a million questions. Practice always ended no later than 8 unless they were in a crisis, but they were always encouraged to stick around and continue if they had the time or the motivation. Oliver was notorious for always being the last one off the field. He always had a new idea for a play running through his head.

“Perfect!” Percy says, interrupting his thoughts. “Why don’t I meet you at the pub at 8:30? First round’s on me.”

“Sure,” Oliver says, his heart beating a touch too fast. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Percy’s head disappears from the fireplace and Oliver sinks back into his chair. There's no longer any question in his mind about his feelings for Percy. He is completely fucked.

******

“How was practice?” Percy asks as soon as Oliver sits down at the pub. Oliver is particularly glad he was able to shower and change before meeting him, because Percy looks immaculate as always.

“Not bad,” he answers. “We’re working out some new plays that I think will be a big help in the game against the Falmouth Falcons next week.”

At Oliver's prompting, Percy begins to detail his day. Oliver listens intently, his left hand going to his jacket pocket to make sure the museum tickets are still there. He has a good feeling about asking Percy on a proper date tonight, fancy dinner and all.

"And I think that within a couple of years we'll be able to send messages on a massive scale without any physical trace," Percy is saying, his enthusiasm showing by how much he’s using his hands. "We'll be able to forego all the complicated magic on personal items just to send a quick message. It'll be built in!"

Oliver thinks back to the watches that Percy worked so painstakingly on during their time in that apartment, and just how much it meant to him to get that message on Battle of Hogwarts day. He can't help but hope the government regulations will still allow such things to occur. 

"I thought you worked in the Transportation department," is what Oliver actually says, grinning.

Percy scoffs. "As if they could limit me to one department."

"You've got me there," Oliver replies, taking another drink. "I don't think you ever told me how you wound up at the Transportation Department."

“Well, it’s kind of a long story,” Percy says, drawing a line in the condensation on his pint glass.

“I’ve got nowhere else to be,” Oliver reminds him, hoping to be encouraging.

Percy nods, but takes another minute to collect his thoughts. Oliver wonders why until he hears how Percy begins his retelling. “After the war, I took a sabbatical from the Ministry.”

“I’m sure you needed it,” Oliver says, nodding.

“I did,” Percy agrees, “but I felt immensely guilty at the time. Luckily, after about a month it was enough to get me to start seeing Dr. Warlon.” Oliver swallows thickly, but doesn’t say anything. Percy keeps turning his drink around in his hands, but he’s not drinking it. He almost can’t believe that Percy is sharing this much without the push of alcohol, and he doesn’t want to mess it up by saying the wrong thing. After a couple of minutes have passed, Percy continues, “Kingsley approached me about heading up a department not long after that.”

“Wow,” Oliver says. “So soon?”

“He said I was one of the few good ones left that had been around long enough to know the ropes,” Percy says, and Oliver can hear the pride in his voice. “But I wasn’t ready. I… wanted to be. I walked out on Dr. Warlon twice over our discussion on the topic, but she was right.”

“You turned down a Head of Department role at the Ministry,” Oliver can’t help but say, impressed at Percy’s willpower. He never would have guessed that the Percy he’d known would do that.

“Still one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do,” Percy says, glancing briefly at Oliver before returning his gaze to the bar. “Eventually I took on a part-time consulting position while I figured things out. Kingsley was generous enough to hire me on my terms.

“In the meantime, I started working with Dad on repairing Sirius’s motorbike for Harry. I was actually really surprised at the amount of work that went into it; I got to use a lot of magic I haven’t been able to practice outside of school.

“Dad and I started to get into these long-winded discussions about theories for future ways to travel other than apparition. Broomstick laws allow witches and wizards to be in the air with the proper concealment, so surely the next step would be more sophisticated means, such as bikes and cars.”

Oliver starts to interrupt to express his surprise over the fact that change in law came from Percy, as he’d had no idea, but he catches the fond, faraway look in Percy’s eyes and keeps quiet.

“We were driving Mum crazy for a while there,” he continues, “but Dad was fairly chuffed when I told him he’d been ahead of his time with the Anglia.”

“So you’re the reason for all this new debate over large air transportation,” Oliver says when he’s sure Percy isn’t going to elaborate further.

Percy blushes as he continues, “I started seeding my thoughts at the Ministry before too long. They gained more strength and support than I expected, and within a couple of years Kingsley was offering me a permanent position in the department. Leonard is the Head, but he has said he doesn't plan to stay more than a few years, and he plans to name me as his replacement.”

“That’s amazing, Perce, congratulations,” Oliver says, holding up his glass. “Cheers."

Percy obligingly clinks their glasses together before taking a drink from his neglected beer. “I still consult quite a bit, but there’s a lot to be done with Transportation law and development.”

“I can see you enjoy it,” Oliver says fondly, smile widening at Percy’s continued blush.

Suddenly, Percy turns his shoulder sharply out and ducks his head toward his drink, huddling toward Oliver. Oliver shoots him a look that communicates just how weird he thinks Percy’s being, and Percy elaborates. “Sorry, I just thought I saw Travis.”

“Travis?” Oliver says, eyebrows shooting up.

Percy sighs heavily, sitting up and adjusting his glasses. “It wasn’t him. My apologies.”

“And who’s Travis?” Oliver asks more explicitly, since Percy isn’t being forthcoming.

“Another long story,” Percy says, swirling his drink around in its glass. “Suffice it to say I thought we were getting on great as friends and he ruined it by trying to make it more.”

Oliver feels a weight settle in his stomach, and he self-consciously pushes the tickets deeper into his pocket. “Did you tell him you’d rather be friends?”

“Unfortunately he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Apparently it was an all or nothing deal.”

“You’re well shot of him, then,” Oliver says, trying to ignore the rush in his ears.

Percy recovers quickly from his self-interruption, going on to explain his latest and greatest bill proposition, and Oliver privately berates himself. He’d almost sabotaged all of this. Their rekindled friendship, their weekly Tuesdays, everything that’s made him smile over the past few weeks. He thanks the heavens for the Travis look-a-like, and pushes any other regrets out of his mind as he focuses on what Percy is saying.

By the end of the night, he’s feeling better. He and Percy are as close as they ever were, and he’s so glad to have Percy is his life, no matter the role.

******

As the weeks go by, Oliver reconsiders giving the tickets away. Percy would still enjoy the museum; there’s no reason Oliver’s invitation has to be a date, especially if he leaves out the rest of the plan.

“What are you doing this weekend?” Oliver asks at one of their usual Tuesday nights. Before Percy can answer, he explains, “I got stuck with these tickets to the Museum of Modern Wizardry, and I thought I’d go Saturday. Maybe see the 4:00 Planetarium Show.”

“Unfortunately, I’ll likely be debating the pros and cons of broomstick travel over apparition at that time,” Percy says with a sigh. “Actually, you know, if you can save your tickets, maybe you can join me.”

“If you don’t want to come, you can just say so,” Oliver says with a smirk, feeling a little disappointed but attempting to ignore it.

“It’s not that. I really want to,” Percy says earnestly, and Oliver has to look away before he does something embarrassing. “It’s just… Mum’s having this sort of… party.”

Oliver raises his eyebrows, prompting Percy to continue.

“You know Ron and Hermione announced their engagement last week. I think she’s just looking for a reason to get everyone together in the house again.”

Oliver smiles. “And you want me to—”

“You don’t have to come!” Percy interjects and Oliver’s grin widens. “I’m just sort of dreading it. They’ll all tease me, and I just thought it would be nice to have someone on my side.”

“What makes you think I wouldn’t join in on the teasing?” Oliver says, not bothering to hide how pleased he is to be invited. Percy shoots him a scathing look that Oliver ignores as he leans comfortably into Percy’s space to nudge his shoulder. “I’d love to come. I haven’t seen everyone in a while; it’ll be nice to catch up.”

******

Despite Oliver’s jokes, he finds himself very nervous by the time he meets up with Percy in front of the Burrow.

“You look terrible,” Percy says in lieu of greeting.

“Just trying to live up to your standards,” Oliver throws right back, knowing that Percy’s giving him a hard time. “I didn’t sleep well. Construction outside my flat.”

“Probably good preparation for a loud day at the Burrow,” Percy jokes as they approach the front door. Before he has a chance to knock, Molly pulls the door open wide and shouts an excited greeting before pulling Percy into a hug.

Oliver watches their exchange with glee as Molly fusses over Percy and he tries to wave her off. It’s all very amusing until she turns her attentions on him.

“Oliver Wood! We were hoping you’d join us. Come in, come in!"

"Lunch will be ready in two ticks," she says after she's commented on how skinny they both look and fussed with their clothes. To Oliver, she says, "Go on and make yourself at home, dear. We'll be having a full spread for dinner. And of course you’ll both want to stay the night.”

“Mum—” Percy protests at the same time that Oliver says, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to put anyone out—”

“Nonsense,” Molly says, ignoring their excuses. “We have breakfast already planned and then a trip to see the renovations George has finished up at the shop."

Percy makes excuses and tries to convince Molly that they can't keep Oliver captive, that Percy can stay or just meet everyone at the shop, but Molly won't take no for an answer.

“It’s no trouble at all, Mrs. Weasley,” Oliver says. “I’ll just pop home for a few necessities and come right back.” He shoots Percy a look to try to determine if he’s okay with this, but Percy only looks worrisome and doesn’t meet his eyes.

“Wonderful, dear,” Molly says, turning to Percy. “Percy, I’ve set up your old room, why don’t you go see to the arrangements and make sure there’s enough room for you both.”

When Oliver returns, lunch is on the table and everyone is making a huge fuss over Ron and Hermione. George in particular keeps putting them on the spot with questions he's picked up from what Oliver recognizes as a wizarding version of the Newlywed Game.

"George, honestly," Molly finally interrupts. "They're not married yet."

They're all crowded onto one end of the long dining table, and Oliver asks who else will be joining for dinner.

"Harry and Ginny will be here shortly," Molly explains. "And Charlie, too, of course. Bill and Fleur hope to be here tonight, but with her so far along they might not be up to the travel."

"Mum, seriously," Ron whines, "you don't have to make it some big thing. I'll see Bill when the baby comes, won't I?"

As Ron is immediately admonished by both Molly for making a fuss and Hermione for being ungrateful, Oliver turns to Percy.

"Funny," Oliver says quietly. "We've been here nearly half an hour and nobody has even remotely teased you."

“Give them time,” Percy says. “Ron’s the central focus for the moment, but that doesn’t mean I’m off the hook for the rest of the trip."

Oliver laughs and focuses back on his meal. He's known the Weasley family since he started at Hogwarts. Teasing is par for the course, he knows. He's still sure that Percy invited him along for more than just backup, he just wants him to admit it.

******

“I’d actually love to get Percy on a broomstick,” Oliver says a little later after Harry and Ginny arrive.

“Naturally,” George says with a wicked grin. Ginny elbows him, though she looks fairly amused herself. Oliver does his best to ignore them.

“I’ve actually been roped into quite a few games around here,” Percy says.

“He’s a halfway decent beater, if you can believe it.”

“Ron,” Hermione admonishes. “Don’t be so rude. You’re quite good, Percy. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.”

“Clearly I’m not going to believe it until I see it,” Oliver says, shooting a mischievous grin Percy’s way. Percy rolls his eyes, but agrees.

“You couldn’t even be _bribed_ to come out on the field when we were in school,” Oliver says as they head to their shared room to change clothes.

“Nor could I be _bribed_ to do anything now,” Percy says, mocking his same emphasis. “We both know that playing an amateur game out in our field today is far different from playing actual Quidditch with you in fourth year. You would have sent me away in tears.”

“Come on,” Oliver says. “I wasn’t that bad.”

“I was,” Percy says with a grin. “You never would have let me live it down.”

He thinks back to fourth year. His first year as Quidditch captain. He’d had a lot of respect for Percy back then based solely on the fact that he could talk Quidditch strategies with him and Percy actually seemed to keep up. Plus, Percy was a big help with Transfiguration homework. But if he’d known Percy was shit at actually playing Quidditch… well, his past self might not have been so open-minded.

"I'm sure you weren't all that bad."

"That's what you always said back then," Percy reminds him as he begins pulling on his shoes. "But I really was. I was... in my head too much."

"You'll have no argument from me there. To be a decent Quidditch player you need to be," and then Oliver has to pause to steady Percy as he overbalances, leaning all his weight into Oliver, "in the moment."

"Thanks," Percy says, seeming to gain his balance again but not moving away or removing his hand from Oliver's arm. Their eyes catch and Percy breathes in sharply as if to say something further, but then a loud, "Oi!" comes from the hallway as George demands that they hurry up with whatever they're doing up there.

Percy's ears redden as he hurries to comply, leaving Oliver blinking after him for a few moments. He takes a deep breath and follows him down the stairs.

*******

While Oliver is still having a great time at the Burrow, he still wonders occasionally why Percy really invited him along. Percy's been giving as good as he’s been getting when it comes to the teasing, so that’s obviously not it.

It all starts to piece together when he overhears Mrs. Weasley talking to Charlie shortly after his arrival. “I’m just not sure dragon wrangling is the best use of your talents. And it makes it so hard for you to meet people--”

“I’m hardly trying to meet people when I’m a broom length away from a dragon’s mouth, am I?”

“Oh but I’m sure you’d find someone in a moment if you’d just give it a chance. I was reading about this dating service in _Witch Weekly_ —”

“Mum, please,” Charlie interrupts before she can get into the details of the article. “I know how to find a date, trust me. I’m just taking a break for a while.”

“Obviously you shouldn't look to rush into anything. I just don’t see why you can’t—”

Their argument continues, but Oliver sneaks through the dining room and outside to join Percy and give Charlie some privacy.

“I’m onto you,” Oliver teases, nudging Percy as he joins him in the garden. Percy is diligently de-gnoming the area, handling the buggers like an old pro. “I know why you really invited me along for the weekend.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Percy says, his ears going red.

“It’s perfectly fine,” Oliver assures him. “I overheard your mum grilling Charlie on his future. If you’d only said, we could have played it all up. It’d be sure to get her off your back about dating.”

There’s a tightness in his chest at the thought of pretending to be Percy’s date, but if that will keep Percy inviting him back for more family outings, then he’ll do it every day.

Percy stands up straight rather suddenly, his expression pinched as he surveys the garden. “That should do for today. There will be no need to ‘play up’ anything, thank you.”

And with that, Percy sweeps back toward the house, leaving a confused Oliver in his wake. Oliver stares after him, a bit blindsided by the sudden appearance of the uptight Percy he knew in school.

When Oliver gets back inside the house, he’s sure he sees Percy just disappearing into the room they’ll be sharing tonight, but Mrs. Weasley stops him before he can follow.

“Oliver, be a dear and help me chop the vegetables for supper.”

Oliver’s mum didn’t raise him to _not_ help with meal preparation, especially when he’s a guest in someone else’s home, so he can hardly say no. He keeps one eye on the stairs, but Percy doesn’t seem to be coming back down.

He spends an inordinate amount of time going back over their conversation while he works, occasionally making small talk with Mrs. Weasley. Clearly he was wrong about why Percy invited him. What he doesn’t understand is why it’s bothered Percy so much. Was the thought of even pretending to date Oliver so bad? Did he overstep the line Percy had drawn by even suggesting it?

He’s made himself miserable by the time Mrs. Weasley lets him know he’s been a big help, but now he should go clean up for dinner. 

He finally crosses paths with Percy as he gets to their room just as Percy is leaving. “Perce,” he says, stopping him from darting past as he seems about to do. “I’m sorry if what I said bothered you. I was only joking.”

“No, don’t worry about it. Everything’s fine,” Percy says, smiling the fakest smile Oliver has ever seen. “Dinner’s about ready. I’ll see you down there.”

Oliver sighs heavily as Percy pushes past him and down the stairs. It’s gonna be a long night.

******

Despite Percy’s weirdness, he doesn’t object when Oliver sits next to him at dinner. He waits until everyone is distracted by their own conversations to lean over and say, “After dinner, I think we should talk.”

Percy stiffens and leans almost - but not quite - imperceptibly away from him. It makes Oliver’s stomach hurt. “What would you like to talk about?” he asks woodenly.

_About how you’ve suddenly stopped being the friend I’ve known for years,_ he wants to shout. _About how I can make things right._ “Just talk,” he says. “You know, catch up, like we do in the pub.”

Percy doesn’t answer immediately, and Oliver watches his focus shift back to the conversation Molly is having with Charlie.

“Mum,” Charlie says, "I know you mean well, but I really don’t need you to set me up with anyone."

“I just want you to be happy, dear,” she says with a frown, and Arthur reaches out to pat her arm. “Oliver, how did you get together with your special someone?” Mrs. Weasley asks suddenly, and Oliver nearly chokes on his food.

He casts a quick glance over at Percy, who looks absolutely flummoxed. Is she talking about Percy? He still isn’t sure if he was right about Percy leading her to believe they’re together, and Percy hasn’t exactly cleared things up. But if there’s anything his guilt and uncertainty has taught him ever since his untimely comment in the garden, it’s that he should be honest.

“Oh, I’m not seeing anyone,” he says just as Percy speaks up and says, “ _Mum_ , don’t be so nosy.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Weasley says before fixing him with a long, measuring look. “Alright then,” she adds, turning her attention back to Charlie.

“You don’t have to lie,” Percy says quietly, leaning toward Oliver but not quite meeting his gaze.

Oliver frowns. “I’m not lying.”

“What about the Hufflepuff bloke… at the pub?”

“No,” Oliver corrects him, a touch more forcefully than he means to. “I mean, we broke it off. Several weeks back.”

Percy’s gaze turns incredulous, and his eyes finally meet Oliver’s. Oliver fights against the impulse to look away or make further comment in the face of Percy’s searching gaze. “But you never mentioned…”

“I never mentioned him because I wasn’t seeing him anymore,” Oliver ribs, sporting a tentative smile.

Percy scoffs. “I just assumed you were keeping your private life private.”

Oliver laughs. “C’mon, Perce. I told you about my incident with the Nutella. You really thought I was keeping anything private after that?”

“What’s that about Nutella?” George asks loudly, leaning toward them from across the table.

“Sorry,” Percy says with a laugh, shooting Oliver a fond look that nearly makes Oliver drop his fork. “You had to be there.”

“Oliver,” Ginny says from his other side, “I wanted to ask you about Puddlemere’s play strategy.”

Oliver happily shares his experiences, glad to have something a little more comfortable to talk about. Something to distract from this tension in his chest. He asks Ginny, "Would you like to come to a game sometime?"

"That would be great!" Ginny exclaims. "Actually, I was thinking..." She pauses here and flicks her eyes over to Hermione, who gives her an encouraging nod. "Thinking of trying out for the Holyhead Harpies."

Oliver takes a moment for that to sink in, thinking back to her moves during their casual game. “That… is an _excellent_ idea,” he says.

Ginny’s face lights up and Oliver can feel her enthusiasm building him up too. Before he knows it, dinner is over and they’ve moved to the living room, still swapping stories and strategies. Time gets away from him until he spots Percy heading upstairs and realizes it’s fairly late.

Making his excuses to Ginny, he catches up with Percy on the stairs. “I didn’t realize it had gotten so late,” he tells Percy apologetically. “Is it still okay for us to talk?”

“We can talk upstairs when you’re done,” Percy says easily. “It’s not like you’re going anywhere.”

“Are you sure you still want me to stay?” Oliver asks, still unsure where they stand. “I can go home and meet you in the morning.”

“You already said it was no trouble,” Percy points out, his tone very precise, but not in that distant way it had been earlier. The tilt of his smirk tells Oliver volumes more than his words do.

“I did,” Oliver agrees, feeling something settle in his chest. “Let me just say goodnight to everyone.”

When Oliver gets back to Percy’s room, he finds that Percy’s transfigured his childhood bed into one large bed instead of two separate ones. He chooses not to comment on it as Percy climbs in. He takes a moment in the bathroom while brushing his teeth to go back through their dinner conversation. He has no idea what to expect from Percy, but he thinks they're back on good terms.

"They were right about your skills as a beater," Oliver says to break the ice as he joins Percy. "I imagine it can't be easy to keep up with George."

"I think he goes easy on me at times," Percy says, his nose wrinkling in distaste of the notion. "He does have quite a few years' practice over me, but I like to think when we play on the same side that I can almost keep up."

"Your hitting that volley at Harry when he spotted the snitch had nothing to do with anyone going easy on you," Oliver points out, grinning at Percy's blush. Percy mutters something about luck that Oliver ignores.

"Did you at least have fun up there?" Oliver asks. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot."

“Yes you did," Percy says, cutting his eyes at Oliver. His mouth quirks into a smile. "But you know I wouldn't have joined you if I didn't want to."

Oliver takes a moment to ponder that. Percy is certainly headstrong; that hasn't changed over the years they've known each other. The only situation where he seemed to let things slide was at work, and he no longer seemed to stand for that either. Oliver is confident he can trust Percy to say what he means, so he takes a deep breath and broaches the subject.

“You were angry with me earlier today,” Oliver says. Percy goes still next to him, but Oliver doesn’t glance over. He’s willing to give Percy as much time as he needs. “I don’t think I ever understood why.”

After a while, Percy sighs. "I’m not sure why your comment bothered me so much. I guess I thought you were accusing me of something.”

“Oh.” Oliver thinks back on what he said, and the way he probably let his disappointment bleed into his joking tone. “I never meant it as an accusation.”

“I realized that eventually,” Percy says. “I apologize for overreacting.”

“It’s alright. I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions.”

“Jumping to conclusions,” Percy echoes softly. Oliver turns toward him, but Percy continues to look distant. After a moment, he returns his attention to Oliver. “Is the Nutella really your deepest, darkest secret?”

“Probably not,” Oliver admits. “But it’s not exactly a story I tell to just anyone.”

“My therapist thinks I should share more of my personal stories with the people I’m close to,” Percy says. “It doesn’t come naturally to me.”

“There’s a tradeoff,” Oliver admits. “My story was embarrassing, but it feels good to laugh about it.”

“Most of my embarrassing stories you already know about from Hogwarts. Being teased, pranked.”

Oliver stays silent. He had been a part of that teasing, in the early years. It took him some time to get to know the real Percy, especially since their first year together mostly consisted of Percy coaching Oliver on how to keep his part of the room clean. “If I never apologized for charming your bed so that it was ‘so clean you can see your reflection in it’—”

“That was actually fairly brilliant,” Percy admits with a laugh. “But apology accepted.”

“You were worried about being teased tonight,” Oliver remembers, “but everything seemed tame. If anything, I think they let you get away with a few comments.”

“I could tell by the look on your face when you spotted those comments,” Percy says with a hint of a reprimand. “I appreciate your holding back. The truth is, sometimes it’s hard, coming back here.”

Oliver nods. “You come visit all the time though, don’t you?”

“Sure, to help fix up Dad’s latest project, or because Mum won’t forgive me for going a month without stopping by.” He pauses and seems to choose his next words carefully. “It’s different when it’s a big family celebration, like tonight.”

Oliver feels like a bludger just landed full force in his gut. All this time, he’d been making Percy’s request all about him. He should have known better.

“It’s hard not to notice. Everyone else is here,” Percy says, as if Fred’s absence is simply because he’s busy elsewhere. He still can’t say it directly, and Oliver can hardly blame him. “The more people we have for these things, the easier it is on Mum. She’s fixating a bit on Charlie right now, but I think we all know it’s a distraction. Better to fixate on that empty chair than another.”

Oliver chooses to comment on the easiest part of that. “I thought Charlie was seeing—”

“He is,” Percy says quickly, cutting him off. “But they work together, and there are rules preventing it. They’re just trying to get through this project until he can get reassigned.”

Oliver laughs at the complexity of it all. “Nothing’s ever easy, is it?”

“Nothing,” Percy agrees, and their laughs fade comfortably into silence. After a few moments, Percy mutters a spell to dim the lights nearly to darkness. Oliver lays on his back and stares up at the ceiling for a few moments.

“Thank you… for inviting me.” Oliver says hesitantly into the darkness. “I didn’t realize how much I missed your family.”

“I know the feeling,” Percy says quietly.

They lay in silence for a short while. Oliver thinks back to the time he spent with Percy before the Battle and remembers just how miserable Percy was about his estrangement from his family. He’s so glad Percy was able to work it out, even though he couldn’t be around while he did.

“I never thanked you,” Percy says, suddenly breaking the silence. There’s a creak of bedsprings as they both roll to face each other in the dark.

“Thanked me for what?” Oliver asks in a rough whisper. Percy is so close that Oliver can see his individual freckles even in the faint light.

“Our big fight… after…” Percy’s voice trails off, but he doesn’t have to mention Fred’s death for Oliver to get it. Percy clears his throat and continues, “Everything you said was true. I wasn’t ready to hear it yet, but it stuck with me long enough to finally sink in when I was.”

“I’d always meant to write you,” Oliver says, knowing how little the words mean now.

“Me too,” Percy says, with an exhale that sounds like relief. “I just kept telling myself that the time wasn’t right, and before long it seemed like too much time.” Percy shifts onto his back again and speaks softly toward the ceiling. “I’m really glad you were in the Hog’s Head that night.”

Not as glad as I am, Oliver thinks, studying the side of Percy’s face that he can see. He needs to process this new, emotionally available Percy. Maybe things weren’t so misaligned for them after all. He rolls over to his other side and mutters, “Goodnight, Perce.”

******

Oliver wakes groggily the next morning, wondering for a moment where he is before recognizing the creaking sounds of someone bounding down the stairs at the Burrow. Turning to his other side, he spots Percy pulling on a shirt, apparently fresh out of the shower.

"You let me sleep too long," Oliver accuses, and Percy turns while snapping on his watch.

"If I'd woken you then I wouldn't get to call you a worthless layabout all day," Percy quips, but Oliver is entirely distracted by the nostalgic familiarity of his watch. It's not just any watch, it's _their_ watch. Their emergency form of communication from the war. And Percy is wearing it. “I’ll try to save you some breakfast,” Percy continues, “but no promises. Bill tends to hoard all the bacon.” And without further ado, Percy slips into the hallway and down the stairs.

Oliver has to rack his brain for a moment, making sure he hadn’t just missed the fact that Percy has been wearing his watch all this time, but he’s sure he would have noticed. Which means that Percy had it nearby this whole time. His wearing it today can’t just be coincidence, can it?

When Oliver joins the breakfast table, Charlie is asking Percy about Travis. It takes Oliver a moment to remember who Travis is - and then it comes back to him that Travis is the one that reportedly ruined his friendship with Percy by asking Percy out. Oliver once again joins the table feeling unsettled, as Percy dismissively states that he’s no longer keeping in touch with Travis.

Breakfast is the usual flurry of activity that accompanies a Weasley meal, and before Oliver knows it, they’re arriving in Diagon Alley. George lets them in just before the store opens to reveal his big renovations.

"You added a whole new floor?!" Molly exclaims.

"They weren't being reasonable about the shop expanding outward, so we decided to expand upward."

"How did you manage it?" Arthur asks excitedly as Molly asks, "Are you quite sure it's safe?"

"Why don't you ask my consultant?" George says, nodding at Percy.

Oliver watches Percy draw himself up to full height as the attention shifts to him. He steps outside while Percy answers questions to take a look at the outside view again, but sure enough, there’s no external sign of an additional floor concealed within. As they all head upstairs to look at the new floor, Oliver hangs back and watches Percy have his moment, noting the redness in his ears and the smile he sports as he explains how he made George’s idea work.

Ron grumbles about having more shelves to restock during his part-time shifts, but Oliver catches him admiring Percy’s craftsmanship when the attention is drawn elsewhere.

Eventually, when the tour has to end so George can open the shop, Percy and Oliver split off to do some of their own shopping.

As soon as they reach the storefront, Oliver drags Percy into Quality Quidditch Supplies and starts raving over everything new that he sees. Everything seems to remind him of different tactics he wants to employ in upcoming games, and he shares these with Percy. Percy chips in with a thought now and then, but Oliver carries on for quite some time until he catches Percy with an amused look on his face. “What?” he asks, blushing slightly and stopping to take a breath.

“Nothing,” Percy answers, his smile never wavering. “You have no idea how loud you’re being, do you?"

Oliver starts to stammer a justification or an apology, but Percy cuts him off. “What are you doing tonight?"

Oliver doesn’t quite follow Percy’s line of thought, but he answers easily, “Practice until I drop, probably. I really need to take some time to try these things out and get them down on paper for the team. Our flying excursion yesterday really got me thinking, and I can’t wait to share my ideas.”

When Percy doesn’t answer, Oliver looks over to find him frowning at some Quidditch robes. He realizes how long he’s kept Percy captive in this store while he talks about nothing but Quidditch, and quickly makes a decision on what to buy so that they can move on.

By the time they get to the next store, Percy seems to have brightened again, much to Oliver's relief. They shop for a while, making small talk and just having a good time, until Percy says he should get back to say goodbye to his family. Oliver realizes too that he should head home to get ready for Quidditch practice.

They return to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes just in time for George's big reveal of his engagement present for Ron and Hermione: a 40% share in the store. There’s a flurry of reaction from the entire family, but it quickly becomes apparent that Hermione already knew. Ron is beside himself, unable to believe George is sincere but clearly wanting to.

“Did you know?” Oliver asks Percy.

“Suspected,” Percy answers, adjusting his glasses. “George alluded to the merits of a co-owner at least a few times while I was here. And Ron clearly loves working here.”

As Ron starts to come to grips with the implications of George’s gift, he asks Percy for more information on the floor he added. Oliver watches them disappear up the stairs, and then jumps as an elbow hits him in the ribs.

“I’m sure I don't need to give you the ‘if you hurt my brother’ speech, do I?” George says, withdrawing his elbow.

Oliver laughs. “I’m afraid Percy has long since gotten over any feelings he once had for me.”

George narrows his eyes and leans in close to give Oliver an exaggerated searching look, and then, so fast Oliver doesn’t have a chance to anticipate it, he smacks Oliver in the back of the head.

“Oi!” Oliver says, rubbing at the spot.

Percy and Ron start heading back down the stairs, and George quickly pulls him aside to the back room. “You seriously can’t be that much of an idiot,” George says as soon as the door closes behind them.

“I’m serious, George,” Oliver says in a warning tone. It’s bad enough knowing Percy isn’t interested; he doesn’t appreciated getting hit for it. “Percy’s made it clear, he’s not looking to be more than friends.”

“I can tell that you believe that nonsense, so I’ll let it slide this once,” George says, holding his hands up, “but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re an idiot. Were you not there when he discovered you weren’t seeing anyone?”

“Th-that… no, that was just a misunderstanding,” Oliver says, but he’s suddenly unsure. Percy had seemed to forgive him in a hurry after he revealed that information.

“You sure?” George says, smirking at his hesitance. “No evidence to the contrary?”

Oliver indulges him for a moment, thinking back over the day, and just as he starts to argue his point again, he remembers Percy’s question at Quality Quidditch Supplies, just before he’d gone quiet.

“There it is,” George says as Oliver replays Percy’s words in his mind.

“Bloody hell. I think he asked me out, and I turned him down!”

“Permission to smack you again?”

“No time,” Oliver says, pushing his way back into the main part of the store.

“Consider the brotherly speech delivered!” George yells after him.

“Where did Percy go?” Oliver asks Ron when he finds him behind the cash register.

“Um, back to the Burrow I think. I thought you’d gone to practice?”

“Not yet!” Oliver yells over his shoulder as he hurries to follow Percy. “Oh, and congratulations again!"

He has a bad feeling as soon as he apparates inside the Burrow, and sure enough, when he goes up to Percy’s room, there’s no sign of him or his things.

There was a long time in his life when Oliver would never consider skipping a Quidditch practice, but right now he’s seriously considering it. His excuse, though, would fall a little flat when he inevitably had to explain his absence to his team. They would say that there was no urgency to his talking with Percy, he imagines, and truthfully they’d be right. But he has a feeling if he lets this lie, he’ll miss yet another opportunity with Percy.

Still feeling torn, Oliver suddenly remembers that Percy is wearing his watch. Gathering up his stuff, he apparates home quickly. It takes him a while to find his watch - he’ll definitely be a few minutes late for practice, but he can’t bring himself to care. He leaves a message for Percy before he can think about it too much, and then dashes off to practice.

******

Practice does not go well. Oliver leaves his watch in the locker room, knowing that he would never focus while wearing it, plus he doesn’t want to risk damaging it. Still, he spends his entire time up in the air with his mind on Percy, on the possibility of George being wrong, on the possibility of George being _right_ and what that might mean for him and Percy.

The message he’d left was so rushed that he struggles to remember it now. He had definitely mentioned how much he’d like a raincheck on hanging out tonight, since practice had gotten in the way, but then he followed up on that to say that if Percy would rather, they could just keep to their normal Tuesday night plans instead. He has no idea how he sounded, but he’s pretty sure his thoughts weren’t very organized. He just wishes he could know how Percy feels. Waiting until Tuesday seems like a lifetime.

Unfortunately, Oliver lets through a noticeable amount of shots, prompting his team to first tease him then eventually, they call it a day a bit early. Most of the teasing is good natured, though he can tell some of them are annoyed at his absentmindedness.

This is getting ridiculous. On his way back to the locker room, Oliver thinks he spots Percy's familiar red hair on the sidelines. He has to do a double take, because he sees movement, then realizes he really did spot Percy. Across the field. And he's headed this way.

After a long pause in which Oliver doesn’t move at all, Oliver finally manages to say, “Percy."

“Oliver,” Percy responds very crisply. “Do you have a moment for us to talk?”

“I, uh,” Oliver stammers, looking around at his teammates without really seeing them, “sure.”

As they step aside, Oliver hears Saul stage-whisper, “So that’s why he was so off his game.” He ignores him.

Percy, however, doesn't. Still speaking formally, he says to Oliver but facing Saul, "If this isn't a good time, I'm happy to wait out on the field while you finish up your practice."

"Don't let us stop you!" Saul responds before Oliver can interject with his refusal.

As they get a fair distance away from the rest of Oliver's team, Oliver starts to worry. Is this the same kind of misunderstanding as when he thought he was Percy's fake boyfriend not even 24 hours ago? Is Percy here to give him a talking to? He follows Percy and feels like he's walking the plank. 

He sees that Percy is still wearing the watch and immediately starts to piece together an apology or explanation in his head. He clears his throat and begins, "I take it you got my message. I was just--"

"Let's go just a bit further," Percy interrupts, then leads him around a corner out of eyeshot and earshot from his teammates.

"I just don't want you to--"

Which is all he manages to say before Percy crowds him against the side of the building and kisses him fiercely. Once he catches up with what’s happening, Oliver relaxes back against the wall and pulls Percy to him to return in kind.

“You don’t want me to—?” Percy prompts when he pulls away, just a touch of uncertainty in his expression.

“—to stop,” Oliver replies, suddenly aware of his heart racing. Percy’s lips are already turning red from his kisses, and Oliver wonders how much redder they can be.

Percy’s lips twist into a smirk as Oliver watches, and he moves back in just as passionately. It’s like the last four years haven’t even happened. Oliver suddenly remembers exactly how good it felt to show Percy how he felt at the Battle of Hogwarts.

“Don’t you care that I’m all sweaty?” Oliver asks as Percy shifts to suck a mark into his neck. It’s like they’re back in school, making out frantically just off the Quidditch pitch where no one can see them. Not that Oliver ever pictured such a thing.

“Not in the least bit,” Percy answers, his hands winding inside Oliver’s robes as if to prove his point.

As great as Oliver feels right now, part of his mind keeps snagging on the possibility that they’re not on the same page. Is this meant to be a one-time thing? “Not that I have a problem with any of this,” Oliver says, laughing, “but I don’t understand what changed. I thought you didn’t want to complicate our friendship.”

“Our friendship is already complicated,” Percy says, slipping his hand under Oliver’s shirt. “And if I ever said that, it was because I thought you were seeing someone.”

Oliver shakes his head. “I can’t believe you assumed I was still seeing a guy you saw me out with once.”

“You could have said that you weren’t seeing him anymore.”

“ _You_ could have said that your preference for friends over boyfriends wasn’t universal,” he says, pulling Percy back in to continue kissing him.

“Communication,” Percy says after a moment, clearing his throat in an attempt not to react to Oliver biting at his neck. “Something we should probably work on.”

“How about right now? Anything you want to _communicate_ to me?”

Percy hauls him back in for a kiss that lasts long enough that Oliver forgets his point. Percy, however, answers his question. “Right now I’d really like to communicate an invitation back to my flat.”

“Yes,” Oliver says, and before long he can feel himself being pulled along to a familiar place - the flat that he shared with Percy for the last year of the war.

His gut clenches in a rush of feeling as he’s overwhelmed with memories of this place. “You moved the couch,” he says absently as he starts walking through the flat and spotting things that have changed over the years. He remembers fighting with Percy over whether to make the beds each day. He remembers the clock on the mantle that Percy had made to mimic Molly’s version at the Burrow. He remembers accidentally spotting Percy coming out of the shower one day and then pretending he had to go off to something important so he wouldn’t overreact.

“Oh!” he exclaims, reaching the room that used to be designated as Percy’s study and nothing else. “What happened here?"

“I made some changes,” Percy says, catching up to him.

Where the room used to be strictly bare bones, containing only Percy’s desk, bookshelves, and the cage for his owl, everything has changed. His desk is pushed against one wall, which remains bare, but the other walls are filled with posters, newspaper clippings, and more. Oliver’s eye catches on a Puddlemere United poster, but his main focus is on the biggest change - far inside the room, there’s a spread of items, some of them from the Muggle world. Oliver recognizes a Muggle car engine and wonders what project Percy could be working on.

“What happened to all your books?” he finally says.

“I move them around,” Percy says shortly. Oliver turns to him, catching his tone, and takes in the impatient look on his face. Expression amused, but his tone still annoyed, Percy says, “Would you like me to give you a tour?”

“It can wait,” Oliver says by way of apology, letting himself be pulled along to Percy’s bedroom.

“Good, because we were going to start here regardless,” Percy says. He backs Oliver against the side of the bed and kisses him intently, taking his time now that they’re truly alone.

Oliver lets himself fall back onto the bed, and is pleased when Percy follows suit, straddling him on the bed. “I can’t believe we never made it here,” Percy says quietly, his expression suddenly turning serious.

Oliver’s heart skips a beat. He doesn’t have to wonder, now, if Percy considers this a one-time thing. He can tell that it means as much to Percy as it does to him. “I can’t either,” he says, his voice rasping but just above a whisper. He reaches up to run his hands along Percy’s arms and gently pull him closer. “But I’m glad it’s happening now.”

He holds Percy to him for a while, feeling the weight of the moment and how much it means to Percy. Eventually Percy shifts to lay next to him, and they come back together in a sweet kiss. Oliver doesn’t mind putting a pause on things for a few minutes; they really do have all the time they need. “I just, I can’t believe,” Percy begins, his eyebrows pulling together, “that you’ve been single this entire bloody time!”

A surprised laugh escapes Oliver’s mouth as Percy swats at his shoulder. “It wasn’t the _entire_ time!” he says incredulously. “And here you had me worried that I was the next Travis.”

Percy looks horrified for a moment, then he starts laughing. “That’s where you got that from? Merlin, Oliver. You and Travis couldn’t be more different.”

“Well how was I supposed to know that?”

“Travis turned out to be an entitled airhead who only pretended to be interested in the same things I was because he wanted to sleep with me. It turns out he wasn’t passionate about _anything_. Except maybe lying.”

“And you like passionate,” Oliver adds with a smug grin.

Percy rolls his eyes. “Merlin help me. I listened to Quidditch strategies all day and gatecrashed your practice at night. I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“It’s what I like about you too,” Oliver says sincerely. This time when they come together for a kiss, it escalates quickly into a fevered give-and-take that’s accentuated by them pulling at each other’s clothes and throwing them off the bed.

Oliver is satisfied to leave the rest of the talking for later, and Percy seems to be on the same page as his hands roam lower to begin undoing his trousers.

"Bloody hell," Oliver says reverently as Percy gets a hand on his cock.

Percy smirks briefly before capturing Oliver’s lips once more. Oliver keeps working at Percy’s clothes until that glorious moment when their cocks slide together with a pleasant friction.

Percy utters a low moan and pumps his hips more frantically.

“Losing your composure?” Oliver mutters, though his teasing is belied by the way his breath catches at the end.

“No more than you,” Percy says.

They smile into their next kiss, and Oliver reaches for Percy’s hips to urge him closer, if closer is even possible. All thoughts of teasing are clouded out of his mind as he loses himself in the sensation of Percy’s mouth and his cock against Oliver’s.

Just as he feels himself about to lose control, Percy reaches to fist their cocks together. Oliver pushes his hips up off the bed, desperate to get closer as his orgasm slams into him.

Percy pants against his mouth, pumping his hips with the same rhythm and crying out as he comes.

Percy settles down next to Oliver in a satisfied heap as they both come down. They continue to make out lazily, hands warm and sure on each other’s skin.

The desperation from before has faded, and Oliver is content to lay here tracing patterns over Percy’s arm, his chest, and just enjoy his company.

"That was a long time in the making,” Oliver finally says.

Percy laughs wryly. "You don't know how many times I thought of you while you lived here. Just across the hall..."

Oliver raises his eyebrows. "How many times?"

Percy shoves at his shoulder.

“Alright, alright,” Oliver goes on. “I was thinking of you too. We were right fools to let things go unsaid for so long.”

Percy props himself up on his elbow to look down at Oliver. “I’d missed you,” he says. “Off and on for a while, but now I realize how much.”

Oliver sits up to kiss him again, slow and sweet. When they eventually pull away, Oliver takes Percy’s hand in his own. “You do realize this means you have to come to all my games now.”

“I’m not nearly as up to date on Quidditch as I used to be,” Percy says with a cheeky grin.

Oliver hums. “I might be able to help you with that.”

******

THREE MONTHS LATER

"Percy?" Oliver asks, opening up the line on his watch. The modifications he'd helped Percy with have been working, but he still feels a bit strange talking to his wrist.

The glow around the watch face changes from orange to blue and Percy's voice responds, "Oliver, hi."

Oliver can hear the smile in his voice. He steps out of the locker room to distance himself from listening ears before answering. "I'm just wrapping up practice. I know it's later than we'd hoped…"

"It's no problem," Percy assures him. "I'm actually still at the office. Leonard is helping me firm up our pitch to get this magic open to the public."

"That's great news!" he says, leaving out his comments about Leonard since he may be standing nearby. "You'll have to tell me all about it. I was just going to pop over to my place for a shower."

"Come to mine," Percy tells him. "We're wrapping up here. I should be home in the next half hour."

Oliver smiles. "Sure. See you then."

He apparates over and takes a quick shower, then puts the kettle on, knowing Percy will appreciate a cup of tea after working over twelve hours.

Sure enough, Percy grabs for the tea and takes a long, satisfied sip before even giving Oliver his kiss hello.

"So Leonard's finally on board," Oliver says as they settle close together on the couch.

"More or less," Percy responds with a sigh. "We're battling each other a lot, but it's progress. He seemed impressed when I was talking to you. It's just been a while since he worked with any other department. I think he feels like I'm working for his enemies."

Oliver laughs. "Well, I'm glad he's come around."

"Doesn't look like we're going to make it to see the film tonight," Percy says.

Oliver nods. "How about tomorrow? I can come around a bit earlier. Saul's got a family thing, so practice won't run nearly as long."

"I promised I'd go 'round the shop tomorrow to help Ron with their overstock issue," Percy reminds him. His expression suddenly turns serious, and he sets his tea aside.

"Sure," Oliver says, remembering. "It's no problem. We can go some other time."

Percy's solemn look doesn't fade.

"I haven’t done laundry in something like three weeks," Oliver says, trying to lighten the mood. "I should probably catch up.”

Percy hums, his expression turning more contemplative.

“What is it?"

“I just thought,” Percy begins, but then hesitates. Oliver can see that whatever it is, Percy didn’t just think of it. “Given that you spend so much time at the flat. I thought you might like to move back in.”

“Did you?” Oliver asks, stalling for a moment while he lets this sink in. He tries to keep his tone light as he continues, “Need someone to fill up the guest room?”

“That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Percy says, eliminating all doubt about what he’s really asking.

“You want me to move in with you. Properly.”

Percy’s smile is only a bit nervous. “It wouldn’t have to be so proper."

Oliver barks a surprised laugh, some of his own nervous energy escaping. “Well, I uh, I’m just glad you’re giving me the option this time. During the war it seemed you wouldn’t take no for an answer."

“ _Oliver_ ,” Percy says in a warning tone.

Oliver smirks, leaning into Percy's space. “Yeah. I’d love to move back in.”

Percy is visibly relieved as Oliver moves in to kiss him. Oliver practically lives here anyway, but he knows how much it means that Percy is officially asking him. He pours his feelings into the kiss and thrills when Percy returns them, things quickly growing heated.

Oliver pulls away, visibly winded. "So, er, should I just pop home then? Get started on the moving process?"

Percy stands and pulls Oliver along with him. "You're not going anywhere tonight."

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](http://candidlily.tumblr.com/), or come follow my [Oliver/Percy tumblr](http://oliverandpercy.tumblr.com/)! Submissions welcome!


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